Focus: Disaster Resilience

Earthquake vulnerability leads to California hospital's imminent closure

Long Beach MemorialCare will close Community Hospital soon


Long Beach MemorialCare's Community Hospital will be closing soon because of the facility's earthquake vulnerability and the decreased need for acute care hospitals, according to an article on the Grunion website.

A new seismic study found a much larger active earthquake fault below the hospital than previously thought. Community sits on top of a hill at Termino Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway.

New state earthquake-proofing standards go into effect on June 30, 2019. MemorialCare officials say there is no way for Community to meet those standards.

While the in-depth seismic studies were being done, MemorialCare also commissioned an assessment of healthcare in and around Long Beach. That study found that there were seven acute care hospitals within a short distance of Community, and that those hospitals averaged 800 available beds.

Read the article.

 

 



November 14, 2017


Topic Area: Regulations, Codes & Standards


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